Using wood chips as bedding?

[asset2004]

Out of interest has anyone used wood chips (as in either fresh or older from a tree surgeon, so not shavings or sawdust) as a stable bedding? I'm interested to hear other people's views and experiences.
I have rubber mats in my stable, but they smell and the urine doesn't tend to drain away very well.

I saw on a yard recently that they had wood chips done in their outside tuyrnout pens and also inside their sheds, but they do have very large loose boxes with several horses in them. One had fairly fresh woodchips and the other box had broken down and it was very peat-like. They said it was fantastic, easy to muck out and drainer readlly well. It also didn't smell.

I have access to unlimited woodchips (within reason!) and wondered if this was a good idea as an alternative bedding?

 

[mulberrymill]

I have a horse in Africa and we have to use whatever bedding we can get. There are 20 odd horses all on wood chips and planings from the local furniture factory. They are easy to keep, last for ages and seem to keep the flies away which as you can imagine are a real problem over there, but stables always seem to be fly free, and the muck heap is tiny for the number of horses.

 

[asset2004]

Two days in, its going ok. I'm just skipping them out like a normal shavings bed, I haven't lifted any of the wet as I've found its drained right through below, the top is still damp but this is because they have been stored outside and its been raining quite a lot recently! lol
I expect it will dry out soon enough.

Hoping it works, otherwise its back to rubber mats.

 

[ameeyal]

I use wood chippings, my husband brings tote bags home for me, if i can find any down side to them its that they discolour and go black/brown quicker than normal shavings, but 2 of my horses do urinate a lot in their beds.

 

[asset2004]

Yes, mine are a combination of dark brown (from older wood chips) and white from the newer wood chippings. I'm hoping they break down to an almost peat-like consistency. So far, so good, but just keeping an eye on it just now.